Live Oak’s Isaiah Locsin was 4-0 through the first day of competition at the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield.
The undefeated sophomore will be one away from reaching the 113-pound final when the tournament resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday in Rabobank Arena.
The second-ranked Locsin will face No. 8 Matt Nader, a senior from Canyon High School in Anaheim, who placed third in the Southern Sectional and last year took sixth at state at Locsin’s 103 pounds.
Despite a challenging slate, Friday’s competition went relatively smooth for Locsin. The two-time Central Coast Section champion prevailed, 8-6, in a hard-fought opening match against No. 14 Johnny Sanchez of Santa Ana, then pinned Elk Grove’s Ethan Larrabee (1:02) and No. 15 Sean Williams (3:13) of Lemoore. Locsin ended the day with a 7-3 triumph over No. 5 Mason Pengily of Porterville, setting up a semifinal showdown with Nader.
The finals are scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.
